2035 - Skating to Process Everything
There was something about being on the ice that was therapeutic and Napoleon really need that right now. Which was how he ended up at the ice rink at 9 o’clock at night, seeing exactly how fast he could spin around. He closed his eyes, not noticing the tears falling from them until the cold of the rink made them stick to his face. For two months, with the exclusion of sleeping, he’d spent virtually no time at home. There were too many images, too many memories and too many emotions.
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he skated over to where he’d left his jacket and phone, resting on top of the boards that lined the perimeter of the ice. He unlocked his phone, ignoring the many notifications of missed messages and calls from his mom to go straight to his music app. He scrolled through his library until he found the right song and then turned up the volume until it echoed through the rink. He skated away from the boards, going around the rink as he got the hang of the music. Soon, he began building his own routine to the song, forcing himself to think about something other than the fact that two months ago his entire world flipped upside down and he lost the person he looked up to most.
“Napoleon!”
He skidded to a halt as Jae’s little voice rang through the rink, louder than his music. He skated towards her and when he stopped, he paused his music so that she wouldn’t have to shout over it. “Jae?” He asked, confused and wondering if he should be worried. For him, walking from their house to the rink was no problem but it was late and he hoped that his 11-year-old sister hadn’t done the same. “Eomma drove me here to get you. She says you have to come home now.” She answered, holding onto the boards. He sighed, even though he knew that he deserved this for ignoring her. “Also, I saw your coach and she told me to tell you that you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.” Napoleon laughed. In his mind, he could hear his coach’s voice saying those exact words and hearing them in his sister’s voice was particularly entertaining, mostly because she was missing the sarcasm that usually accompanied them. “Can you pass me my guards?” He asked, pointing to where he’d left them. She nodded and brought him the items he asked for. He slipped the guards onto the blades of his skates and stepped off the ice, waddling to where he’d left his shoes.
He sat down and unlaced his skates, pulling them off of his feet and putting them in his bag, then putting his sneakers back on. “Leon?” Jae asked him as he gathered up the rest of his stuff, pulling his back up over his shoulder. “Yeah, Jaebird?” He responded, starting to walk towards the exit with her. “Are you always skating now because it makes you stop missing Appa?” The question caught him off guard and he took a deep breath as he thought about how he was going to answer her. “No. I don’t think anything will ever make me stop missing Appa.” He answered, telling her the truth as he looked down at her. “Skating just helps me not feel sad when I miss him.” He explained and as simple and childish as it sounded, it was really the only way he could explain to her why he was spending most of his waking hours at the ice rink. Seemingly content with his answer, she quickly hugged him before pulling him by the arm to where their mom was waiting in her car to bring them home.